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    Guest Rick Research

    Just a thrifty (Cheap :cheeky: ) Bavarian.

    Don't know what metal the "gum drop" is made out of, but shiny and silver looking suggests NOT the early cast iron horrors, so either the 1922-28 zinky version or the 1928-36 "argentan" alloy one--design remained the same, just varied in quality of the manufacture. The ribbon indicates volunteer fire service rather than professional fireman duty.

    Edited by Rick Research
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    Rick and Scott,

    I paid I think $30 for this bar, so I didn't think there was a high monetary value to it. I thought it is interesting because, as Scott states, it appeared to be a civilian medal bar. I thought there may be an interesting story behind it.

    Rick - I did not know this maybe a volunteer Bavarian fire service medal, thanks for the information.

    Dean

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    Just a thrifty (Cheap :cheeky: ) Bavarian.

    Don't know what metal the "gum drop" is made out of, but shiny and silver looking suggests NOT the early cast iron horrors, so either the 1922-28 zinky version or the 1928-36 "argentan" alloy one--design remained the same, just varied in quality of the manufacture. The ribbon indicates volunteer fire service rather than professional fireman duty.

    I never realized that the blue & white striped ribbon was an indication of volunteer fire service. Was the crimson-colored ribbon (like seen on the 40-Year Service Medal below) used for regular/professional fire service?

    Best regards,

    Tom

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    Red ribbons were for professional fire men. Most bigger towns in Bavaria had professional fire briagdes, in small towns were (semi-) volunteer fire brigades which means that young man had to join these brigades, otherwise they had to pay kind of special tax.

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    Red ribbons were for professional fire men. Most bigger towns in Bavaria had professional fire briagdes, in small towns were (semi-) volunteer fire brigades which means that young man had to join these brigades, otherwise they had to pay kind of special tax.

    The idea that the red ribbon on this medal was for career firemen is new to me. I've never seen it in 40 years of collecting fire awards, and even authors, like Gert Efler who wrote the book on German fire awards, puts the grey and white striped ribbon on the 25 year service and the carmine on the 40 year service. With my very limited command of the German language, it also appears the awards were issued for service in fire brigades, without any division between just volunteer or career. Not to sound critical of anyone elses comments, but I would really like to have the source of this for my records.

    FireMedals

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    Hi,

    we have in Bavaria in that time two different oval medals.

    1. Feuerwehrehrenzeichen für hervorragende Leistungen (for outstanding performance/excellent achievement)

    http://www.feuerwehr...isch/10205.html

    2. Feuerwehrehrenzeichen für 25/40jährige Dienstzeit (for long service 25/40 years)

    http://www.feuerwehr...isch/10202.html

    http://www.feuerwehr...isch/10203.html

    For the first medal with the text ""FÜR HERVORRAGENDE LEISTUNGEN IM FEUERWEHR-DIENST" it is correct with the different colours for professionals in red and for volunteers in white and blue.

    For the second medal with the text "FÜR 25/40 JÄHRIGE DIENST-ZEIT" it is for the differentiation between 25 (white and blue) and 40 years (red) of service.

    Uwe

    Edited by speedytop
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    Uwe,

    Thank you for all that information. This should answer any questions about this award for a long time to come.

    FireMedals

    Yes indeed! Thank you, Uwe, for all that great information and the links too. Very informative.

    Best regards,

    Tom

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    Guest Rick Research

    The blue and white striped ribbon is from the original Royal version, the M1884-1918 worn as a brooch similar to the way military long service awards for enlisted ranks were worn at the time. This was given ONLY to volunteer firemen.

    See von Hessenthal and Schreiber, "Die tragbaren Ehrenzeichen des Deutschen Reiches." I have the April 1940 edition.

    The horrid cast iron "camel droppings" of 1920-22 introduced the red = 40, blue and white = 25

    In 1922 the cast iron was replaced by a "war alloy" zink but the design remained the same.

    In 1928 the medals were made in much better alloys but still the same horrible design, continuing to be awarded until 1936.

    Here is the rack of an ancient volunteer super-hero from Nuremburg circa 1933 or so with ALL the versions being worn among a variety of other decorations for lonnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnng fire service--

    Note that he had 25 years of volunteer service in by 1918--M1884 brooch closest to buttons, is wearing THREE of the ghastly camel droppings medals AND a cross with that design in the center mingled with his other awards-- including a Prussian (!) WW1 War Effort Cross near the end of his vast medal bar.

    Edited by Rick Research
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    speedytop,

    It appears that the two sets of medals on the left have a helmet that comes to more of a smooth point in the middle. The 40 year medal has more of gently rolling middle. The 25 year medal I posted looks like it has the same more gently rolling middle, like the 40 year you posted.

    Is this due to changes in the medal over the years? Were there specific years for each way?

    Dean

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    Hi Dean,

    the first edition (blackened iron) had been awarded in the period 1920-1922.

    My two grey/black medals (patinated zinc) are from the period 1922-1928, second edition.

    The other four medals (silvered/gilded) in this thread are from the period 1928-1936, third edition, now with a changed helmet design.

    Uwe

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    Hi militaria0815,

    can you please show us medals, model 1 (blackened iron) and/or model 2 (patinated zinc), with the helmet design shown in Post 1 and 9?

    No matter, a temporal delimitation is always possible with the help of the different materials, see Post 20.

    Uwe

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    Hi militaria0815,

    can you please show us medals, model 1 (blackened iron) and/or model 2 (patinated zinc), with the helmet design shown in Post 1 and 9?

    No matter, a temporal delimitation is always possible with the help of the different materials, see Post 20.

    Uwe

    Uwe, sorry but I have not made pics of all the Bavarian firemen medals I owned in the past.

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